need help!!!!

Hey so bought an 83 Seca 750 and when I went to transfer the title they said it was invalid because it had tape on it, the guy I bought it from never transferred the title when he bought it but he tried tracking down the original owner with no avail. Long story on that. Does anyone know how to go about obtaining a title for a bike, I really don't want to part it out because it's in good shape for how old it is and seems like it would be fun to ride. Another idea I had was to get another junker bike with a title and swap all the parts and go that route. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

 

Try another DMV office.

 

^ try that first

Many states have provisions for an antique title, which only requires a bill of sale and the vehicle has to be of a certain age (30 to 35 years old in most places). So you could go that route if Minnesota offers it (it's usually cheaper too).

You can apply for a lost title, which also has additional costs for the title search and processing fee.

You can plate the motorcycle in Vermont, and use the registration to "bring the vehicle into your state." In that case you will be paying Vermont a bit of money, and be paying any sales tax that your state charges for bringing in an out of state vehicle. You might also be charged for the VIN inspection (your state police will do this). http://advrider.com/forums/showthread.php?t=655441

 

I have the original title with the original owners signature on it but it's taped where it was creased and they say the makes it invalid, Minnesota has some ridiculous rules about titles, it's dumb, I have the original title with a signature, common sense would dictate that it's good enough

 

And I have taken it to several offices including trying to put in my mother's name who is enrolled on an Indian reservation, and they wouldn't even accept it, maybe 10 years ago they would but the state is getting ridiculous

 

Can you call the dmv, give the original owners name but tell them that you "moved" to your current address and could they please send you a replacement copy of your title since you lost your old one? I did this in Florida once, Florida has pretty lax dmv rules, though.
I mean cmon, who here is above committing a little fraud to validate the title of our bikes?

 

I can totally see the state's point.....if the title has been taped together, there is nothing proving that it HASN'T been altered until the previous owner gets a duplicate title or lost title replacement. From THAT point, then it would be re-signed over to you. Then you can proceed with normal stuff.

I've had to do that before, and as long as the person who's name is on the the title is willing to help, it's not a problem....just an extra hoop to jump through. I've had to sometimes pay the duplicate title fee, to encourage them to actually help, though........

Then, of course there ARE other ways to go about it, but they are ALL a hassle of one sort or another.

I have one now that is a frame that had a new number assigned to it. That frame number was a tag that was stuck on and riveted to the frame. The number also has a match on the title,now, too. It came as a parts bike, and with a lot of careful work I was able to retrieve the tag. Now I have the frame,as a spare parts frame, and I have a titled tag to put on ANY bike that I may wish to title when the right project one comes along.

I got lucky.....two birds with one stone----

 

Had I known the whole story behind the bike I never would have paid for it, the guy I bought it from got it from a pawn shop, but the guy I got from is being helpful, he went to the pawn shop and they tried to track down the original owner but he has warrants out and is a wanted man and nowhere to be found, and even if he was found I doubt he'd care to help with getting a duplicate title, it's a big sh!t storm. It's a good bike, runs and drives and no rust, just a couple chips in the paint and only around 10,000 miles on it, can't ride it dirty because it needs new tires bad (wires are showing) and I don't want to sink any money into it until I know I can get a title.

 

I am a New Jersey resident, and I purchased my XJ from the PO who didnt have a title. My SECA is currently registered in Vermont. I am riding on Vermont plates, In New Jersey, with New Jersey insurance.

Vermont does not require that you live in Vermont, or even bring your bike to Vermont to register it there. On bikes over 300cc, they require your VIN number be verified by anyone legally allowed to verify VIN numbers in your state. This can be the police, or a notary public. In New Jersey, its the local police, and the local police only required I bring pictures of the bike, its odometer, and its stamped VIN to give me a police verified VIN verification on their letterhead.

I submitted a bill of sale, the police verified VIN, and the money to pay for registration in Vermont to Montpelier, and a week later I had shiny green Vermont plates and registration. I can help you! Message me!

 

Vermont is your friend. Once you have your Vermont registration and plate, you take it in to your local DMV and they issue you your title and plates. Problem solved so long as your bike is not known as stolen.

 

Even if it has an existing title that is worthless to me in my state? I may have to look into this.

 

Therein lies a problem. Unless you can transfer it to Vermont, it will show up in the MN DMV database. Unless it was last registered so long ago the state dropped it, but that depends on the state, I don't know how Minnesota works.

 

Even if it has an existing title that is worthless in your state. It doesnt matter. If another state says they have registered it, your state will honor it.

Its a 30 year old motorcycle. They have no way to tell where it could have traveled to and who could have owned it along the way outside of your state. They can only go on the fact that it is legally registered to you and you have documentation that you own it from Vermont.

Message me and I can walk you through it. Its really quite easy.

 

Not necessarily..... Some states will not honor Vermont Reg's until after a certain length of time has passed after the registration. We've seen that happen right here in the forums too----

 

So? Then wait. Get your moneys worth out of the Vermont registration. The bike will be legal to ride as long as it has the VT plate and legal insurance. Thats what I am currently doing, as I am riding my XJ from New Jersey to Nevada very soon and it is pointless to reregister it in New Jersey.

Police only pull over motorcyclists who act like squids. Dont ride like a squid, and there is nothing to worry about. Even if you DO get stopped, most likely the officers eyes will cross due to this oddball instance of a motorcycle registered in Vermont, to a rider with MN insurance and license, and let him/her go. Worst case, a warning for failure to register within 30 days or whatever the regulation is in MN.

tl;dr Go ahead and ride your heart out on those Vermont plates. Ill be here listening for when having Vermont registration and plates on your bike causes you a hassle.

Cue the crickets, please.

 

Buying or Selling Without Proper Documentation
If you're trying to sell your car but you can't find the title, you can ask the DVS to issue you a replacement title. Just fill out the Application for a Duplicate Title, Registration, Cab or Lien Card (Form PS2067A) and take it to a motor vehicle office. If you're not in a hurry, you can instead mail in your application. Either way, also submit a duplicate title fee of $8.25.

The seller doesn't need to provide the buyer with the current registration card at the time of the sale. However, it can come in handy in some situations by demonstrating to the buyer that the vehicle's paperwork is in order.

If you're selling a vehicle that does not have a title, you can execute the transaction by completing the necessary information on the registration card. Or you may complete a bill of sale form that contains all the pertinent vehicle information. Be sure that all of the vehicle's owners sign the form. The buyer must then complete an Application to Title/Reg. a Vehicle (Form PS2000).

If the seller can produce neither the title nor the registration, the buyer will need to show the following to the DVS in order to title and register the vehicle:

Bill of sale signed by the seller or sellers.
Photographs of the vehicle taken from all sides.
A written statement of facts completed by the seller. It must contain the vehicle's year, make, model, and vehicle identification number. It also needs to have an explanation as to why there isn't any proof of ownership available and give as much detail regarding the history of the vehicle as possible. The seller must then sign the statement.
A written statement by the buyer saying that the buyer will need to defend the state against any claims of ownership that might arise. The buyer must sign the statement. The state may also require the buyer to purchase a surety bond to protect the state from any ownership claims.
Of course, the buyer will also need to complete an Application to Title/Reg. a Vehicle (Form PS2000).

 

If the PO was/is dirty (I'm not judging) you need to do this in a way that separates you from his dirt. Imo follow the advice that will secure you a clean title. Hopefully the bike wasn't stolen and some where in transition (30yrs is a long time for a bike) ended up at the pawn shop.

Gary H.

 

No the bike isn't stolen the name on the invalid title is the guy who pawned it.

 

That's a good thing.

Gary H.

 

I'm with MBFTY. I did this with cars while moving around back in my college days. (taking a pause here to reminisce).

For a time in KY, I had a corolla with CO plates, KY insurance and a WA driver's license. It worked out this way for cost and to keep from costly state to state transfers.

At 5am on Memorial weekend saturday, headed to a lake cabin for the weekend, my passenger (friend) was on more intoxicants than I can legally say, I was sober - after drinking all Friday nite until about around 2am.

A trooper pulled me over - he was bored - and he just scratched his head and laughed at my explanation, and told me to be careful with all the crazies on the highway.

Two years later, I didn't want to give up my WA license - for some reason KY would take it when I got a new one there, so I called the WA DMV and said I lost it and needed proof, then got a letter from them stating that, which I used to get a new license in KY.

Then when I moved back to CO, I simply told them I lost the old CO license and got a new one there. I still have all those original licenses now - without holes punched in them and such, the diary of my travels.

 

Ive done similar with licenses.

All things considered, its nice to get Florida resident entry rate when I go back to Florida and want to visit Busch Gardens or Islands of Adventure.